As baby boomers age and demand for new transit options surges, other cities including Boston, Kansas City and the St. Petersburg, Fla. area, are experimenting with programs involving ride-sharing firms, too.

Minneapolis residents had tried to block the $1.9 billion Southwest light-rail project by arguing that the Metropolitan Council violated federal law when it chose to route the rail line through the Kenilworth corridor.

In the coming years, 10 more rapid-bus lines will snake throughout the metro's busiest transit corridors — and last week, the network's build-out reached two milestones. Advocates say rapid-bus service offers passengers a light-rail-like experience but is far cheaper to build and maintain.

Minnesota has relied partly on gas tax revenue for highway upkeep, but that financial kitty has been shrinking. Lawmakers point out the MnDOT analysis doesn't necessarily mean tollbooths are on the horizon.

To stem possible conflicts of interest, the Metropolitan Council banned the firms from working on the construction stage because they had worked on its earlier design and engineering phases. Groups call ban 'arbitrary' and 'misguided.'

The Federal Transit Administration is requiring an additional environmental study of a crash-protection wall that is planned along the proposed Southwest light-rail line. It is unclear whether the study will further delay the embattled $1.9 billion transit project.